Why do you think that there was this hype being created about the world going to end?

Mar 19 2013:
The idea made a LOT of money for television stations. That's one reason.

Other reasons are far more subtle.

1. Much of humanity has lost its criticial thinking skills. I think that they have been FORMALLY "educated" out of most people who learn that they should respect the voice of authority. It's relatively easy to present one's self as an authority - no matter how bizarre your thesis.

2. Most people around the globe believe that something is terribly wrong. Somehow, we are still living in the dark ages that we thought we left during the enlightenment, and things are getting worse.

3. Those who are fundamentalist evangelical Christians who want to be raptured before the heathens are forced to live in the misery caused by the anti-Christ were really looking forward to the fulfillment of a religious promise, and they are unable to see any contradictions between their Jesus' teachings and the modern scare-tactics.

4. Our global culture has been formally taught to confuse emotion with thought - specifically rational thought. (If it feels right (emotes in the right way), it must be true. Our governmental systems depend on our being readily manipulated through fear (an emotion). As Goehring (Hitler's henchman) said - it's easy enough to convince a man to give up farm and family while risking his and their lives, to go to war and kill others (even though religions teach peace). Just name an enemy - define the threat - stir patriotic fervor, and denounce the pacifists. (In this case, the advertisement was the equivalent of the patriotic fervor that Hitler inspired in his campaigns against the Jews prior to the war, and the pacifists were those who offered rational arguments against end-of-the-world hopefuls and fear-filled.

I would like schools to teach EQ rather than serve to turn people into sheeple. But I doubt that you'll see it any time too soon, because a functionally educated public is the anathema to power hierarchies who think fear = good.

Mar 19 2013:
I think people immediately want others to think of death. Dying brings about thoughts of leaving the ones we love, losing everything,...missing out on the years one "should've" had. These thoughts cause panic.. "Have I gone through life so that I may be granted access to the gates of Heaven?" It varies with everyone... Death is universal. It WILL happen, regardless of the success one believes they have in life. So when I hear worried friends, or the History Channel, droning on about the last few days mankind has on Earth, I simply think: "You just want to get a rise out of me."

Mar 18 2013:
For the same reason we ride roller coasters, bungee jump, skydive and watch reality shows about what happens after people vanish from the earth. Don't forget the millennium bug in all the worlds computers.
We love to be scared to death (almost).
It's just a good story to scare yourself with. The Mayan myth was started by Coe in 1966 and while he is a recognized scholar in Mayan civilization there was nothing in Mayan culture to indicate his interpretation was anything but fanciful.
The "New Age" crowd picked up on this and the result was a panic over nothing.
I'm sure the next thing is not too far away. Perhaps the Nemesis star will resurrect itself or Apophis will come calling.
Who knows.

Mar 18 2013:
It was because of something from way back in history. Supposedly the last year of the Mayan calendar was 2013 so people believed this to be a prediction that the world would end that year.